Danby steps down as chamber chairman

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Long Beach Chamber of Commerce member Ian Danby has stepped down as chairman. He will remain as treasurer for the chamber.

Danby, who has been a member of the chamber for the past eight years, was chairman for the last four. The decision wasn’t all too difficult for Danby, who said he made the decision back in August to step down and was debating it each year.

Danby said the main reason for the change was his business, Cybernet LLC., a website design and marketing company based in Long Beach. With all the time put into the chamber, he said he did not have enough time to dedicate to the business like he wanted to.

During his time as chairman, the chamber has “become much more relevant,” Danby said. He said he has dedicated his time to rebuilding the chamber and improving its reputation.

Danby said he made numerous efforts to improve the chamber, including building its website from scratch, rewriting its “ancient” bylaws and mission statement, and working to promote all businesses, not just retailers.

Along with all those changes, Danby said one of the greatest accomplishments during his time as chairman was improving relations with the city.

“A great thing we accomplished was developing a relationship with the city,” Danby said. “We have a relationship where we can listen to what each other says.”

The accomplishments achieved by both him and the chamber were important to Danby, but he said he did not do any of it for notoriety or personal gain. He did it to “bring the city to a better place.” Regardless, back in October, Danby was the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce’s 2021 honoree for his participation in the local business community.

The Chamber of Commerce will now shift to a co-chairman operation with Leah Rosensweig-Tozer and James Lynch taking the positions. Lynch also owns JM Lynch Construction and Tozer is a licensed real estate agent. Both were vice-chairs before the change.

“The board is going to continue to be in a good place,” Danby said. “There isn’t going to be much change.”

Three new board members will join at the chamber’s Jan. 24 meeting at the Allegria Hotel.